Garcinia cambogia and Glucomannan reduce weight, change body composition and ameliorate lipid and glucose blood profiles in overweight/obese patients

Abstract

BackgroundNowadays, overweight and obesity are worldwide epidemics associated with the development of diseases such as diabetes, dyslipidemias, hypertension and even cancer. Treatments for these conditions are not very successful and therefore looking for new strategies is imperative. Garcinia cambogia (GC) is used in Asia and Africa for hypolipidemic, antidiabetic and anti-obesity purposes while Glucomannan (GNN) is a diet supplement used to control weight in Japan and China. Here, the efficacy of GC and GNN in weight reduction and the impact on metabolic status of obese/overweight patients for 3 and 6 months was tested. Material and methodsThis study was a pre-post test study. Adults> 18 years old (n = 136) with a body mass indexin excess of 25 were recruited for this study. These patients also suffered from diabetes mellitus type 2, dyslipidemias, hypertension and their combinations. They were treated with 1 g/day of both GC and GNN for 3 and 6 months. ResultsThe treatment reduced weight, visceral fat, fat mass, increased metabolic basal rate and was also effective reducing levels of triglycerides, glucose and cholesterol compared to baseline. There were not any adverse effects reported. Reduction in weight were independent of sex, age and previously reported condition. ConclusionsIt was concluded that treatment with GC and GNN is useful in the long term to reduce weight and improve the metabolic status of overweight/obese patients.